Madison Quinn | World Music Central

Antti Paalanen - Photo by Kimmo Kansala. Paalanen playing accordion in a field.

Artist Profiles

Bellows To The Metal: Antti Paalanen’s Breathbox Revolution

(headline image: Antti Paalanen – Photo by Kimmo Kansala) Antti Paalanen, born in 1977 and raised in Southern Ostrobothnia’s pelimanni heartland, builds a roaring engine…

The album cover for Trust Fall by Hannah Delynn features a double-exposed photograph of a woman in a long red coat standing on a snow-dusted forest path. The blurred layering effect creates the illusion of her appearing twice, side by side, against a backdrop of bare trees and stone steps. The title Trust Fall and artist’s name appear in handwritten-style white lettering in the lower right corner.

Album reviews

Falling Into Place: Hannah Delynn’s “Trust Fall” Lands September 5, 2025

Madison Quinn September 15, 2025 1 Comment Hannah Delynn

Hannah Delynn – Trust Fall (self-released, 2025) When an artist releases a debut full-length album, it often feels like the opening of a long-sealed journal.…

Althea SullyCole - Due West cover artwork. A photo of the artist holdinga kora over her right shoulder.

Album reviews

Kora Across Borders: Althea SullyCole Charts a Transatlantic Path on ‘Due West’

Madison Quinn September 7, 2025 1 Comment Althea SullyCole world music

Althea SullyCole – Due West (self-release, 2025) Althea SullyCole’s album Due West distills fourteen years of kora study into a transcontinental journey through African diasporic…

Sidsel Walstad and Ibou Cissokho - Tamoo cover artwork. A sepia colored design with illustrations of a western hrap and a kora.

Album reviews

European Harp Meets Kora on Lovely Tamoo

Madison Quinn September 4, 2025 No Comments world fusion world music

Sidsel Walstad and Ibou Cissokho – Tamoo (Global Sonics, 2025) Norwegian harp player Sidsel Walstad and Senegalese kora player and vocalist Ibou Cissokho forge a…

The album cover features four colorful paintings of human figures in motion, each framed separately against a tan background. Bold black lines define the figures, while vivid reds, blues, yellows, and greens create a sense of energy and rhythm. The text reads “Le Collectif Tango Negro Ensemble” on the left and “Tribute to Juan Carlos Cáceres” at the bottom.

Album reviews

Tango in Black and White: A Polyphonic Tribute to Cáceres

Madison Quinn August 31, 2025 No Comments Argentine music Le Collectif Tango Negro Ensemble tango world music

Le Collectif Tango Negro Ensemble – Tribute to Juan Carlos Cáceres (Felmay Records, 2025) Le Collectif Tango Negro Ensemble honors the legacy of Juan Carlos…

The album cover for Bords de Terre – Dubhe by Horzines Stara features delicate, colorful flowers taped to a weathered, cracked plaster wall. The band name and album title appear in simple, uppercase sans-serif type.

Album reviews

Borderless Voices: Horzines Stara Pushes Limits on Bords de Terre – Dubhe

Madison Quinn July 25, 2025 No Comments a cappella French music Horzines Stara world fusion world music

Horzines Stara – Bords de Terre – Dubhe (Vlad Productions / InOuïe Distribution, 2022) Horzines Stara’s 2022 release Bords de Terre – Dubhe (Edge of…

Kengo Saito / Japanistan Trio – Douce Errance. A photo of the trio holding their musical instruments.

Album reviews

Japanistan Trio: Crossroads Without Borders

Madison Quinn July 23, 2025 No Comments Kengo Saito world fusion world music

Kengo Saito / Japanistan Trio – Douce Errance (Felmay, 2025) On Douce Errance, the Japanistan Trio weaves Afghan rubab, Japanese shakuhachi, and Persian tombak through…

The album cover for Tostemt by Øyonn Groven Myhren and Marit Karlberg features a vintage, book-like design with a textured red and beige marbled background. A cream-colored label with a red border at the center displays the title in red script, followed by the artists’ names in black. Below, the subtitle reads “Tralleslåtter og Danseviser Anno 2025.”

Album reviews

Double Take: Vocal Harmonies Echo the Hardanger Fiddle on Tostemt

Madison Quinn July 12, 2025 No Comments a cappella hullar låttane kvedarar lèt på kjafte Marit Karlberg Norway Norwegian music Øyonn Groven Myhren tullar slåttane world music

Øyonn Groven Myhren & Marit Karlberg – Tostemt (Heilo, 2025) Øyonn Groven Myhren and Marit Karlberg reimagine Norwegian fiddle traditions through two-part vocal arrangements on…

The album cover for Joku Raja Rakkaudessakin by Pauanne features a folkloric illustration of a two-headed, red-toned figure—half male, half female—set against a textured, patterned backdrop. Stylized birds, hearts, and silhouettes decorate their bodies.

Album reviews

Across the Boundaries of Love: Pauanne’s “Joku Raja Rakkaudessakin”

Madison Quinn July 4, 2025 No Comments Finnish music Karelian music Pauanne world music

Pauanne – Joku Raja Rakkaudesakin (Nordic Notes / CPL-Musicgroup, 2025) As I first pressed play on a cool spring evening, the ghostly violin and kantele…

The album cover for Remon Nakanishi's Hinanoiezuto features a soft, watercolor-style illustration of three traditionally dressed Japanese figures engaged in cheerful conversation. The art evokes a classical Edo-period aesthetic, with warm, earthy tones and expressive faces. The title is written vertically in playful blue hiragana, with the artist's name in smaller kanji beside it.

Album reviews

Remon Nakanishi’s Hinano Iezuto Rewrites the Japanese Folk Canon

Madison Quinn June 24, 2025 No Comments Japanese music Remon Nakanishi world music

Remon Nakanishi 中西レモン – Hinano Iezuto ひなのいえづと (DOYASA! Records, 2022) Remon Nakanishi ‘s Hinano Iezuto album’s title, drawn from an archaic Japanese phrase meaning “a…